"The power of the one is the power of the many."

The perfect book to cozy up with this fall!
This book had me gripped from the first couple chapters. I just couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced with new twists and turns on every page. The magic system of The Nine was so intriguing and the more I learned about them the more I wanted to know. I also really enjoyed the secret society aspects of this book and all the political intrigue and drama that came with it. Watching an average girl be swept into a world of secrets, lies and sorcery was the perfect way to spend my day.
I did guess the third act plot twist a few pages before it happened, but I was still shocked nonetheless.
The only thing I struggled with while reading was keeping up the with the multitude of side-characters that show up and then disappear. They each had a purpose, but were sometimes hard to distinguish from one another because Blake was often meeting multiple at once.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great start to a series I can't wait to continue!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. All opinions are my own.

First of all, I want to say I love the cover and the concept of this series. The magic system was really interesting and I liked the idea of the political alliances and how it operated mixed with magical realism. When reading, I really got the impression that the concept of The Nines magic was the initial idea for this book - and where the passion was - and everything else was built up around it.

For that reason, every other aspect of the book fell flat for me. The characters were all caricatures of over-done stereotypes: the quirky, feisty, not-like-other-girls main character, the polished, rich, good-guy who is too good to be true, the slightly more rugged other guy who’s there to show her the wild side. Scarlett, the MC’s best friend, was simply there to be sassy for most of the book, to then turn around at the end to introduce an unnecessary conflict. The only attempts at giving Scarlett a personality was that she likes to do magazine quizzes and is dieting all the time, to which she expresses dislike for and Blake teases her for it and mentions how amazing her metabolism is. This added absolutely nothing to the narrative, and made for incredibly uncomfortable reading.

I hate love triangles at the best of times, but this one was especially lacklustre. Both options for Blake were instances of Insta-Love (and so was the secondary relationship between Scarlett and Warren.) I usually love romantic subplots in books, especially ones with fantastical elements, but there was no tension or attraction to work with.

A lot of this book was incredibly jarring, and not in a good way. The event that takes place at the start, which is the catalyst for all the events to come, comes with zero build up, and is over before you really understand what is going on. Aside from a few throw-away lines, no one really reacts to a lot of things that would be incredibly traumatic. Especially due to the low page-count, this book really would have benefited from an extra 50+ pages to delve into these scenes - and these characters - to flesh them out more.

All in all, this book had a lot of potential but was not well executed.

This book is an engaging start to a fantasy series. It contains many of fantasy-lover's most adored tropes, which makes it a quick read if not unique. The political intrigue was my favorite part and was well developed.

This was definitely such a unique and good debut for a series! I really liked this concept and the storyline. The writing was beautiful and there is so much potential for this series to grow and do very well. Since this book was the first of the series, there was a lot of world building and a lot of questions left unanswered. I can't wait to see what Kes Trester does in the next book because like I said, there is just so much potential. Overall, this was definitely a fun and interesting read that I absolutely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Preliminary 5-star review. Will post a full review and adjust the rating accordingly after I finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

What a fun debut to a new fantasy series! Blake is an 18 year old with special magical powers she usually tries to keep hidden. She discovers she is not the only one with such powers, and there is a secret society of people with 9 different magical powers. She is coming into her own with her powers while also navigating the complex dynamics of this secret society. I enjoyed the world-building and look forward to reading more!

4.5⭐️ ~ The Nine: Origins is the first book of The Nine series. This was my first ever ARC and I didn’t know how I would feel about it but it was absolutely amazing. The author did such a good job bringing these characters and their special abilities to life. I sometimes find that book involving powers lack proper description but The Nine: Origins definitely didn’t. I loved the plot and the pace of this book. It always left me curious and wanting to read more and more. There are still so many questions I have about these characters and this world and I can’t wait for the sequel. The author also did an amazing job with the romance portion of this book. I had so many mixed feelings about Blake’s two love interests, Nicholas and Jessie, which made it all the more interesting to read because I felt like I could relate so much more to Blake when I experienced the same emotions as her. Overall The Nine: Origins was a great start to The Nine series. I can’t wait to see where the author goes with Blake’s story. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, magical powers, romance, and paranormal societies.
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Release Date: October 11, 2022
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Thank you so much Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for this free eARC. <3

*arc received from NetGalley*

Y’all… when I say that I think this has the potential to an amazing, each book will leave you hanging, kind of series… I cannot wait for the second book and already have my physical copy preordered for when it’s published in October 🥰

We’ve got the start of budding romance, an interesting magic system, and a few characters I cannot wait to get to know more!

Highly recommend reading this book. I have a feeling y’all aren’t going to want to miss out on what Kes is going to bring us with this series!

I really enjoyed this book, the story really pulled me in from the first few pages. The characters were well developed and you were able to see that they have the potential for growth as the story continues. The author was able to weave together a story that you haven't read before. I wasn't able to easily guess what would happen between the characters which is refreshing.

I’m on annual leave for a week and planned on reading this over the next few days. Finished it in half a day! Read in one sitting and loved every minute 😍
Blake has visions and we follow her as she is “headhunted” by an organisation called the Nine. I love books featuring Magical realism and this one didn’t disappoint.
The plot was very immersive and I didn’t want to put it down. When is the next one out?? I need more!

3.75 ⭐️ because being the first book of a saga it leaves many questions unanswered but still it was a fun read.

The protagonist, Blake, discovers that in the world there are other people like her who have power. His is voyance.
Someone, however, attentive to her life and she will have to decide who she can trust.

I must say I loved it! The story is full of political intrigues and mysteries.. it leaves you with some questions but it also entices you to read more.

This fantasy story set around murder and nine mental superpowers just wasn’t for me. The one thing I appreciated was the author setting out the powers from the beginning. However, I felt the book read like an episode for a Netflix fantasy series, and on that basis I’m sure there are other readers out there that will lap up the story in this the first book in a series. But the book comes with all the generic things that a Netflix series seems to entail, and also all the things that frustrate me with that style. Thank you to Oak Hollow Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Eighteen-year-old Blake Wilder usually hides her ability to see pivotal moments in other people's pasts and futures, but when a premonition compels her to save a classmate's life, she's drawn into a centuries-old paranormal society on the brink of civil war.
As she struggles to find her way within a world of political intrigue and shifting alliances, her path is complicated by a budding romance with Nicholas, the chancellor's son, and her attraction to Jessie, a man who makes up the rules as he goes. However, Blake will soon learn the truism that all is fair in love and war, especially when power is at stake.
When she witnesses a series of bizarre murders that have not yet occurred, it's not long before the killer learns of her visions. Blake must decide whether to trust her head or her heart in a race to unmask the murderer before she is the next to die.
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Owl
Hollow Press
I just reviewed The Nine: Origins by Kes Trester. #TheNineOrigins #NetGalley

This was such a good read! It reminds me of something but I can’t work out what! I really enjoyed the story and I love Blake she’s great. My only criticism is I wanted more! Already looking forward to the next book!

Blake was different from the rest of the other classmates, she had a gift, setting her apart of the rest she, but soon she discovered she wasn't the only one with a special gift and was introduced to a secret society.
Here she learns how to use this skills of her and how to make it on the team.
There is different gifts and she was Voyent, she could see into people's pasts and future's.
Murders happing around her and now it's up to her to solve it.

The writing was good and easy to read. I didn't like the main character.
I would love to read the next book in this series. Hoping I would be able to connect more to Blake.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Quick Stats
Overall: 3.5/5 ☆
Characters: 2.5/5 ☆
Relationships/Friendships: 3/5 ☆
Setting: 4/5 ☆
Writing: 3.5/5 ☆
Plot and Themes: 4/5 ☆

The Nine is a novel set in a modern-day world following the life of our protagonist, Blake Wilder, a girl with Clairvoyant powers. Not everyone knows of her powers, though, and she’s hoping it will stay that way. But after a freak accident involving her abilities and someone who seemed to have spawned out nowhere, Blake is forced to make a decision: continue her current way of living, in secret and in denial, or actually do something about it?

Pros:
✨ writing that was easy to read
✨ fun characters and dialogue
✨ interesting plot
✨ eye-catching cover

I thought the writing was very easy to read. It was light and quite fun. The plot was fairly interesting (not anything out of the world or special, but was just enough to intrigue me to turn the page) and I thought that the overall concept of the different abilities was done right.

Can we just give a moment to talk about the cover? It’s so freaking catchy. It caught my eye instantly. I can just imagine myself endlessly strolling through the library, seeing that cover, and before you could even say ‘nine’, it’s already in my to-borrow bag.

Cons:
🍄 characters felt basic
🍄 sometimes writing had no flow

Hear me out when I say that the characters felt basic. The main character, Blake, was a bit of that generic angsty teen in YA. She’s mad, but then not so mad. She’s kind of upset she won’t be able to live her life as a normal person anymore, and she’s planning to be sad over it some more. She doesn’t really look at logic, she just goes with everything that happens around her. Are you telling me that she seriously didn’t think that her powers could save a ton of important lives? She needs some random dude to tell her and “show her.”

Oh, and of course there’s also Scarlet, her best friend, who is basically that sarcastic but supportive friend trope. I’ll admit that I’m okay with that, but she didn’t feel fleshed out enough. She felt like a character I had already seen countless times, and sometimes I just didn’t care about her dialogue.

I know I said earlier that the writing was easy to read, and that’s true, but sometimes it felt hurried. As in, some events seemed to happen out of the blue. And not even in the well-written, out of nowhere kind of sense. The scene where the tragic accident happened felt sort of sudden. Maybe it’s for the shock effect, but the way it was written just didn’t feel natural. There was also another scene prior to that of when Blake first met Nicholas and she just darted away. That scene just irked me because the reaction felt under-whelming. The best word I can gather to describe it is just ‘unnatural,’ as I said before.

Last words:
Overall, I would say to give this book a shot because the plot is interesting and it’s a fun and easy read. The world is well-built enough. Some areas of the book might feel odd, like things might come out of nowhere and feel weird, but it doesn’t happen ALL the time. It wouldn’t be hard to just shake it off when it happens. The Nine is the kind of book I would read when I’m not really looking to dive deep in novel and completely immerse myself. It’s a intriguing, sometimes dark, book I can probably count on to give me a good time.

Thank you for reading my review!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book! !!!!Has spoilers!!!!!

This book kind of reminds me of X-men with people having different powers. Blake can see visions of the future and even past events. Her works kind of turns upside down once she meets a guy named Nicholas. Nicholas is a part of a group called The Nine, which is a group for people with special abilities. She soon finds out that her ability is rare and could put her in danger with others. Through out the story Blake is trying to figure out what and who she is with the help of Nicholas.

Nicholas takes her to The Lower 8 which is a bar for people in The Nine. There she’s meets a man named Jessie. Jessie and Nicholas clearly have a past and it doesn’t seem friendly. They both want to be Blake’s Patron to “show her the ropes”. It doesn’t help that she’s attracted to both of them and doesn’t really know eithers intentions.

Anyways the story ends with Nicholas having to go back to Europe to handle some business but before he goes Blake sees a terrifying vision of him. Also Blake’s sister ends up being a part of the Nine as well?

That’s my rough draft of what’s going on. My opinion about this book is that too much was going on throughout this book and a lot of stuff could’ve been explain more or been talked deeper into depth. Now I really really really enjoyed this book. I think it has amazing potential and I’m sure I’ll buy an actual copy. I’m actually excited for the next book to come out.

The main things I didn’t like about this was the back and forth love triangle with Nicholas and Jessie. She literally just met them. It was creepy that she fell so hard for Nicholas so fast but yet can’t get Jessie off her mind? Like pick one and stick with it. I think Nicholas has great intentions but just didn’t go about stuff in the right way. I do not get good vibes from Jessie at all. He seems like an F boy and I don’t like it, although he did end up kinda saving her in the end but I’m not sure if it was for her or for him to get what he wants. I also didn’t like the random twist of Marcus being evil. The plot didn’t set it up well enough for that twist in the end.

I just feel like the story should’ve been longer so more stuff was explained and not rushed. It felt extremely rushed to me and I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. Like I said I liked it and I’m excited for the next one but I just hope the next one doesn’t feel as rushed as this one.

3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.

Solid start to a series! So many questions left unanswered that I can’t wait for the next book to come out but this also kinda has a satisfying ending?!
Would totally recommend especially for fans of the inheritance games trilogy.
Also, Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC 💗

Fantastic read and a good YA novel,
I loved the elements of magic and sense there’s so much more to discover of the world our author has created and of our main character Blake.
There were a few classic appearances - the loveable rogue, the mysterious protector and an instant connection.
The premonitions were well described and added to the plot which was pacy and had fleshed our believable characters.
Would I read the second? Absolutely. I was gutted when it ended.

Thanks to the publishers and to the author as well as netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First, thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for providing a preview copy of this book.

I knocked The Nine: Origins out in one day, and I'm glad I didn't really have to put it down! I won't summarize the book here, as you can read the summary. However, I'll hit my highs and lows for this title.

Lows: Origins as part of the title made me think that we were going to be reading about the origins of the organization. Instead, it seemed to be more about Blake's coming into her own powers. I don't think Origins was the best subtitle, but it didn't really affect my ability to enjoy the story. I also could have used a little more explanation about the types of skills the Nine possess in order to keep them straight. Some were familiar (telekinesis, clairvoyant, telepathy), while others were not. I could have done with just a bit more explanation about the structure of the Nine as well. I suppose if the reader is meant to be as off-balance as Blake, it works, but in the end, it was just frustrating.

Highs: I do enjoy a will they/won't they story, and this one has a good one. I loved the friendship between Blake and Scarlett, as well as the developing relationship between Scarlett and Warren.

Overall, I enjoyed this very much. If book two were out right now, I'd certainly read it, but I'm notorious for starting and not finishing series. I'm hoping The Nine is different enough to stick in my mind so I can see where it goes.